Blog

Want a productive year? Work smarter not harder with these 8 tools in hand. Grab a cup of coffee, some programs that make your work more efficient, and a persistent spirit – and there’s nothing you can’t accomplish in 2015.

Research suggests that on average your business’ email marketing database diminishes by about 25% every year. This is partially due to contact email addresses changing over time or moving from one company to another. Others may opt-out of your email communications or abandon an old email address they no longer use. How do you keep your numbers growing in 2015 and not lose those valued 2014 contacts you worked so hard to capture?

What is the perfect holiday gift? Small hint: it’s not stuff. Rather, it’s an act of love; something which makes the world a better place. This season as gifts are wrapped and exchanged, consider making a gift of time, heart, or funding for a deserving ministry or nonprofit. For your viewing pleasure we’ve included a little video from Kid President on the “Perfect Gift.”

As our team transitions out of “Benefit Season” and into the Holiday Season, we’re reflecting on what we’ve learned in the past several months. In the past 6 weeks alone, Luminate Marketing helped launch 3 nonprofit fundraising events. The hands-on, concentrated focus on generating exposure online and raising funds for worthy nonprofits always teaches us more than reading articles or attending best practice seminars. We’ve seen first-hand what works, what people love, and what they don’t. So here are our observations, for your benefit (pun intended)…

Grateful and excited about our nomination for the 2014 Chicago Innovation Awards for our video work for Chicago nonprofits. Our team was nominated for two different awards this year: the first was for the development of a new fundraising ‘series’ of videos for nonprofits, and the second was the “Up and Comer” award for our growth in 2014 as a Chicago-based small business.

Nelson Mandela was laid to rest in Qunu this afternoon, ending a journey that transformed South Africa. This passionate leader left a mark around the world. As a tribute we wanted to share this well-known quote of his, showcasing the importance of passion. Without passion there is no change or transformation; what hope can there be without passion?

We work with ministries and nonprofits, big and small. Sometimes we have the opportunity to travel to different parts of the globe to help organizations first hand through high-quality photography, video footage, and understanding the mission to new depths. This inevitably helps us package the message to audiences when we return back to the States, with renewed motivation and understanding.

Google Apps now offers communication, collaboration and publishing tools, including email accounts on your organization’s domain (like jdoe@example.org) – at a discount for nonprofits. With Google Apps, a nonprofit org can decrease its total cost of ownership and offer staff the very latest innovation from Google. It’s quick and easy to get started even if a nonprofit or ministry doesn’t have a dedicated IT staff.